Repeating mechanism for phonographs



April 8, 1924.

- 1,489,436 H. HESS REPEATING MECHANISM FOR PHOTOGRAPHS Filed Feb. 281921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VEN TOR.

April 8, 1924.

H. K. HESS REPEATING MECHANISM FOR PHOTOGRAPHS Fi led Feb. 28 1921 2Sheets-Sheet 2 .IN VEN TOR.

F'A TTORNEYS f" Patented Apr. 8, 1924.

UNITED STATE.

HENRY K. HESS, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

REPEATING MECHANISM FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

Application filed. February 28, 1921. Serial No. 448,519.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY K. Hess, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York,have invented a certain new and useful Repeating Mechanism forPhonographs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object a particularly simple. and efiicientrepeating mechanism for phonographs in which the rotation of a turntableor the record thereon is utilized to swing the tone arm to its startingposition to place the needle at the beginning of the second groove; andthe invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations andconstructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which like characters designate corresponding parts in allthe views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a phonograph embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of parts seen in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation of parts seen in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4, Figure 2.

This repeating mechanism comprises generally means carried by theswinging sound conduit and operable to engage either the turntableelement or the record element in order to lift the sound conduit tocarry the needle out of engagement with the record and to support thesound conduit, whereby it is swung by the rotation of the turntable toits starting position.

In theillustrated embodiment of my invention the repeating mechanismcoacts with the record of the turntable and receives its movementtherefrom.

l designates the turntable, which is supported in any well-known manner;2 is the disk record thereon. 3. designates the sound conduit or tonearm which swings over the record when being guided by the needle inthe'groove of the disk and also which is capable of up and down movementabout a horizontal axis at the rear end of the tone arm. It will beunderstood, however, that my invention may be applied to any soundconduit.

4 designates the reproducer having a suitable support r holder 5 for theneedle 6.

same on such rotating element, whereby the sound conduit is swung toits'starting position by the rotation of the turntable.

As here shown, this means comprises a foot 7- carried by a bracket 8which is attached to the sound conduit in any suitable manner andoperable into and out of engagement with the face of the record. Thebracket 8 is here illustrated as attached to the sound conduit or tonearm by clamping pieces 9, 10, which are held on the sound conduit by aclamping screw and nut 11, 12.

The foot is normally spaced apart from the record and is held elevatedby a suitable spring13, the foot being here shown as carried by a leafl4: hinged to the bracket or being flexible enough to have a hingingmovement at one end to the support 8. The foot or the leaf is moved tocarry the foot downwardly into engagement with the record, in thisembodiment of my invention, by a pressure operated member, here shown asan expansible bulb 15 acting on the upper side of the leaf 1 1 andconnected to means for supplying pressure thereto, as another bulb 16 bya tube 17. The bulb 15 is located in the box-like portion 18 on thebracket 8, which box-like portion is also enclosed by side and end wallsor flaps 19, 20, on the leaf 14:. The bracket 8 which is struck fromsheet metal has upwardly extending flanges which are connected to theclamping pieces 9, 10, screws 21 extending through the slots in theclamping pieces and perforations in the upwardly extending flanges ofthe bracket. Suitable nuts 22 thread on. the screws 21.

By reason of the slots: and screws the bracket can be adjustedvertically in order to properly position the foot 7 relatively to therecord.

In operation, when the bulb 16 is compressed the bulb 15 is expanded,causing the leaf 14 to move from the position shown in Figure 2 to thatshown in Figure 3, in which the foot is pressed against the record,causing the tone arm to be lifted to carry the needle 6 out ofengagement with the record and also causing the tone arm to record isrotating with the turntable the sound conduit is swun to the left to itsstarting position. A suitable stop 23 is arranged to limit the movementof the sound conduit in its starting position so that the needle willdrop into the beginning of the groove of the record. It is necessary butto give a momentary impulse to the bulb 15 in order to turn the tone armto its starting position and permit it to move vertically to carry theneedle into engagement with the record.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. In a repeating mechanism for phonographs, the combination with aturntable element, a record element on the turntable element, a swingingsound conduit including a vertically movable portion, a reproducer and aneedle support carried by said portion and shiftable toward and from therecord element, of means carried by the conduit and normally out ofengagement with one of said elements and shiftable into engagementtherewith to lift the vertically movable portion of the sound conduitand carry the needle off the record to hold the needle off the recordand to lower the movable portion of the sound conduit to place theneedle on the record, and manual means comprising a compressible andextensible operating member for yieldingly controlling the operation ofthe former means, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a phonograph, the combination of a turntable element, a recordelement mounted thereon, a swinging sound conduit and a needle supportcarried thereby and movable toward and from the record element, of

means operable to support the sound conduit on one of said elements andlift the needle support to carry the needle out of engagement with therecord element, said means comprising a foot carried by the soundconduit and normally overlying and being spaced apart from the elementwith which it coacts, an expansible member arranged to press againstsaid foot and means for supplying pressure to the expansible member.

HENRY K. HESS.

